MCTC Skills U Awarded Dollar General Foundation Grant

May 21, 2020

by Brady Shultz

Maysville Community and Technical College (MCTC) was among the recipients of what
has been announced as the largest one-day grant announcement aimed at supporting summer,
family and adult literacy programs by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

In total, the Foundation awarded more than $8.6 million to approximately 970 nonprofit
organizations, libraries and schools to support the educational journey of more than
663,000 individuals, which aim to enhance local literacy and education initiatives
throughout the communities Dollar General (NYSE: DG) serves.

MCTC was awarded a $7,000 grant to be used for adult education by its Skills U department.

“We are extremely grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for this grant,”
says Sherry Stacy, Skills U Director for the college. “The adults we serve are simply
looking for a better life, and being able to use this grant to provide free testing
to our students eliminates a major roadblock to get them on that path.”

“During these extraordinary times, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation remains
steadfast in its commitment to support communities’ literacy and educational advancements
through funds that will impact thousands of students across the country,” said Todd
Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO and Dollar General Literacy Foundation board member. “We
are proud to support the meaningful and impactful work that each of today’s recipients
conduct and support their ongoing efforts to help individuals improve their lives
through literacy and education.”

Grant recipients plan to use awarded funds to promote literacy and learning across
a variety of programs including promoting childhood summer reading, helping adults
learn to read and prepare for the high school equivalency exam and helping individuals
to learn English.

“For more than 26 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has invested in programs
that help uplift and empower others through education,” said Denine Torr, executive
director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “In the wake of the pandemic as
more youth are in need of academic support and an increased number of adults are looking
to enhance their basic skills and employability, we proudly continue our support of
basic education and literacy initiatives for individuals of all ages. We are grateful
for the hardworking teachers and nonprofit leaders who are serving students in our
hometown communities and hope these funds help advance their efforts.”

Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards funds to nonprofit organizations,
schools and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution
center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. Through partnerships
with national literacy organizations like the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy,
XPRIZE Foundation and the American Libraries Association, the Dollar General Literacy
Foundation supports organizations that increase access to educational programming,
stimulate and enable innovation in the delivery of educational instruction and inspire
a love of reading.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation also offers a student referral program for
individuals interested in learning how to read, speak English or prepare for the high
school equivalency exam. Referrals to a local organization that provides free literacy
services are available online here or through referral cards found in the Learn to
Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.